By Denise Galloway
Daily Record of Dunn
ANGIER – The Angier Museum, housed in the town of Angier Depot, located at 19 W. Depot St., will hold a ribbon-cutting ceremony at 11 a.m. Tuesday celebrating recent renovations. Guests are encouraged to explore the new exhibits and refreshed spaces in what is billed as a morning of “culture, community, and fun” hosted by the Angier Chamber of Commerce.
Current museum president Alan Coats says the date for the ceremony is significant. It was on Dec. 10, 2009, that the museum was officially recorded with the State of North Carolina as a 501-3(c) nonprofit.
The museum is housed in the former passenger waiting rooms of the old Durham & Southern railway depot and takes up about 20% of the total space of the depot. Originally built in 1913 after the old railroad barracks burned down, the only major improvement until now was the addition of a baggage extension in the 1930s.
Museum volunteer Chester Hartwell describes the museum rooms before the improvements as functional but lacking. He talks about mismatched bracketed shelves and display cases that were “begged and borrowed.” A single bare bulb in one of the rooms. The “institutional yellow” paint. The museum was bursting with history, but it wasn’t necessarily esthetically appealing.
Late last summer, Black River Woodwork brought the vision of beautifully and properly showcasing Angier’s history to life. Among other improvements: built-in, lighted shelving and track lighting were installed; a research corner with banquette seating was added; and an old door was fashioned into a glass-topped study and conference table. What was once the top portion of an old post office unit was painstakingly restored to a full unit. The new cabinet to hold the post office boxes is a built-to-spec replica — something most folks wouldn’t realize unless they were told.
Funding for the project came primarily from a $100,000 grant from the State of North Carolina General Fund, allocated by Sen. Jim Burgin, after persistent requests from museum co-founder and former president Rachel Barnes.
“Mrs. Rachel was worrying him to death!” Coats joked.
Burgin explains that in “good budget years (surplus)” senators are assigned discretionary monies that can be used under the conditions that the funds go to a not-for-profit, and are used for projects strictly for public good. Burgin says the Angier Museum “is a great way to learn about what makes Angier what it is. History is so important, and it’s gone unless we do things to preserve it.”
In total, a volunteer staff of nine work hard to preserve Angier’s history and to keep the Angier Museum going. Coats says they could always use more hands. The treasures housed at the museum come from all around Angier — homes, attics, garages, civic clubs, the old school, and other places, too. A typical day for volunteers involves greeting visitors, sharing stories about Angier, and sorting and caring for the precious heirlooms and artifacts that tell the Angier story.
The museum space and utilities are provided by the town of Angier, but it’s operating budget is strictly donation funded — another area that Coats says could use more help. Hartwell says the budget is best described as “hand-to-mouth.” As with many organizations, the COVID pandemic disrupted operations and donations. For the past year, donations have totaled less than $200.
The Angier Museum is open 10 a.m. to 2 p.m. Saturdays, for special town events, or by appointment. Tax deductible donations can be made to: Angier Museum, PO Box 542, Angier, NC 27501. To schedule a private tour or learn more about how to volunteer, call Alan Coats at 917-864-5181.
